The present invention relates to ankle braces, and, in particular, to an ankle brace that provides greater comfort and support than braces of the prior art.
Many types of ankle braces are known, including my earlier design, described in U.S. Pat. No. 33,395. That brace provided greater flexibility and comfort than other braces, because it provided pivots on both sides of the brace, which enabled the foot to flex forward and backward while limiting side-to-side motion of the foot relative to the leg in order to protect the injured ankle. That brace had left and right pivot legs, which were intended to lie along the left and right sides of the wearer""s leg, and there were straps which wrapped around the leg to hold the pivot legs together. While the straps provide flexibility of movement, they also stretch and shift, thereby sacrificing some structural support.
Also, in prior art designs, the semi-rigid stirrup encircled the bottom of the foot, interfering with a person""s foot spreading out as he put his weight on the foot, thereby causing irritation and pain. If the stirrup were made wide enough to avoid that problem, it would provide less support to the person""s ankle and might be too wide to fit into the person""s shoe.
In particular, most of the preferred embodiments of the present invention provide arms, extending from the left and right pivot legs, which are joined together to form a flexible rear cuff. The phrase xe2x80x9cflexible rear cuffxe2x80x9d means a rear cuff that provides greater flexibility than would be provided by joining the arms together to form the cuff as a unitary piece having substantially the same thickness, continuity, and height as the arms themselves. The flexibility may be achieved by cutting out portions of the unitary rear cuff to make it substantially more flexible, or by changing the dimensions of a portion of the unitary rear cuff so that it is substantially thinner or shorter than the arms, or both, thereby creating a substantially more flexible section. Also, if the arms are not formed as a unitary piece, the mechanical arrangement by which the arms are joined together to form the cuff may provide the flexibility. For example, in one preferred embodiment, the arms are connected together by a rivet which permits them to pivot relative to each other. This pivot connection allows the brace to be adjusted in order to fit a wide variety of people""s foot and leg shapes, resulting in a comfortable brace, while providing more support than prior art designs. The arms, pivoted together, limit the range of motion between the pivot legs while providing the desired flexibility so that the wearer can continue to flex and exercise the ankle while the ankle is protected and supported by the brace. Most of the other embodiments use other mechanisms for providing a controlled, flexible connection between the arm.
The preferred embodiments of the present invention also provide a heel stirrup and a tongue, extending forward of the heel stirrup. The heel stirrup surrounds the heel to provide the greatest possible stability while leaving the bottom of the foot, including the arch, free to spread out, so that the stirrup does not impinge on the wearer""s foot.
The preferred embodiments of the present invention also provide an ankle brace with a single strap closure mechanism that provides the wearer easy enhanced structural support, adjustability for ankle size, and ease of use.